UML Sequence Diagram in Dia?

Question

What's a good workflow (usage procedure) for creating a UML Sequence diagram in Dia?

Adanadana

Answer 1

From the UML Sheet of Special Objects (left toolbar, center palette, use drop-down to select "UML"), select the UML Object object, , and then place an object in your diagram.

Next, from the same UML Sheet, select the lifeline object, , and place it in your diagram. Then connect the lifeline's uppermost line handle to the UML Object placed in the last step.

Use the UML Message object, , to connect one lifeline to another.

Right-click on the lifeline to adjust the lifetime of the object, or to add or remove connection points.

Adanadana

Hi, is there a way to add more than only one focus of control to a UML life line? Unfortunately, it seems that there is only the possibility to add/remove connection points for a single life line, but not to add/split/remove focus-of-control-bars. – Throe

How about just using multiple lifeline objects stacked vertically? I just tried, it seems to work okay. In my topmost lifeline, I dragged the bottom dashed line up so much that it disappeared, and then for my bottom lifeline I connected its upper dashed line to the bottom of the focus-of-control bar on the lifeline above it. – Adanadana

@Adanadana - thanks for the above. Quick related question: is there a way to draw a self-referencing call in Dia? I can't figure it out. I posted a question here: #11787039 – Beka

@JDelage: answered your question. The gist is: change the UML Message object's properties to have Message Type: Recursive. – Adanadana

you just made my day! i try to download bunch of alternatives just because i dident know how to extend life line :( thank you again! – Superpower

Wow. Just, whoa... Ok, trying to switch to Dia (coming from Visual Studio) and the amount of manual work to create the sequence diagrams is just... I loved Dia up until this. Gotta find an alternative now. – Ial

@aduncan911: Yes, there is a good amount of manual work here. But it's pretty close to being a one-time thing, because once you get something you like you can just copy/paste it. – Adanadana

Did you find a way to properly draw conditional/loop blocks? – Manchu